Essay 2: Rough Draft

                                        Christianity and Islam

The sound of continuous chanting filled the streets of New York City as protestors argued both in favor of and in opposition to the building of an Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero.  The proposed location of the mosque has caused an enormous amount of controversy over the past few months.  One minister, Terry Jones, was so opposed to the idea that he threatened to “build a bonfire of Korans and set the books ablaze” (Goldman).  Issues frequently arise as a result of a difference in views among certain groups of people.  Christians and Muslims do differ in their beliefs.  Main differences include the Christian belief that Jesus is the Son of God and the Muslim belief in the prophet Muhammad.  It is clear that Christianity and Islam are different, but people often times fail to recognize the numerous similarities that exist between the two religions.  Not only do Christians and Muslims believe in the same God and many of the same religious figures, but they also share similar beliefs about the content that appears in their holy texts, including beliefs about life after death.

Christians and Muslims possess similar beliefs about God and believe in several of the same important religious figures.  Christianity and Islam are monotheistic religions, both believing in one God.  It is believed that God, called “Allah” in Islam, is the Creator of the World (Shahani 12).  Religious figures such as Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist, and Jesus, appear in the holy books associated with both religions.  Many people don’t realize the importance of the four individuals in Islam (Renard 226).  For example, Christians and Muslims alike believe they are children of Abraham (Toropov 91).  It is also widely unknown that Muslims believe in Jesus; however, Jesus plays an important role in Islam.  The Islamic religion, unlike the Christian religion, doesn’t consider Jesus to be the Son of God, but rather, he is recognized as a prophet (Esposito).  Muslims consider him to be “one of the greatest of God’s prophets and messengers” (Discover Islam).  According to both religions, Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary and God “strengthened him with the Holy Spirit” (Renard 226).  He performed miracles, healed the suffering, as well as raised people from the dead (Renard 226).  Christians and Muslims believe Jesus will return on the Day of Judgment.  Although specific beliefs about religious figures aren’t exactly the same among the two religions, both Christianity and Islam express the importance of the figures, especially through holy texts.

            The holy texts of Christianity and Islam are the Bible and Qur’an respectively, and each religion has creeds to express its beliefs as well.  The Qur’an is believed to contain the words of God as spoken through the prophet Muhammad, whereas the Bible contains accounts written by disciples of Jesus, yet the two texts have an incredible amount in common (Renard 192).  The Bible and the Qur’an even contain many of the same stories from the Old and New Testament (Renard 191).  Each religion has its own creed as well, and the purpose of each one is similar.  Muslims recite the Shahadah, or “Declaration of Faith,” (Discover Islam) which confirms the Muslim belief that there is one God, and that Muhammad was God’s messenger (Renard 198).  Beyond the creed, Muslims live by the “Five Pillars” of Islam (Renard 198).  Similarly, Christians recite the Nicene Creed to affirm their faith in God and in addition, they try to live by the “Ten Commandments.”  The Islam religion acknowledges the “Ten Commandments” as well (Renard 136).  The important texts of each religion show several similarities between Christian and Muslim beliefs, including beliefs about life after death.

            “Death is not the end of life, but a transition to another level of existence” (Renard 202).  A person’s journey isn’t limited to life on Earth; it is believed to continue after death.  Christians and Muslims share the belief that life after death is eternal (Shahani 25).  After death, a “judgment” will take place and humans will then be judged by God according to how they lived their lives on Earth (Renard 141).  God’s judgment will determine whether individuals should reside in Heaven or Hell (Shahani 26).  In the Islamic religion, Heaven is for those who die believing in God, or Allah, and His prophet, Muhammad (Shahani 27). In the Christian religion, the belief is similar, except the individuals believe in Jesus instead of Muhammad (Renard 141).  As far as both religions are concerned, Heaven is thought to be a “state of being” rather than a physical place (Renard 203).  Hell is for those who sin during their lifetime and disobey God’s commandments (Shahani 27).  Christians and Muslims believe if they are placed in Hell, they will stay in Hell for eternity (Renard 141).  Life after death is a concept that both religions view similarly. 

            Christians and Muslims share beliefs in God, certain religious figures, and eternal life after death, as shown in the holy texts of each religion.  Christians and Muslims have more in common that most people realize.  Although certain aspects of each religion differ in some ways, many central concepts are the same.  It’s puzzling why a minister such as Terry Jones would want to burn the holy book of a religion that is so similar to his own.  Perhaps there wouldn’t be such an uproar about the location of the new mosque in New York City if everyone could grasp a better understanding of Christianity and Islam and the numerous similarities that exist between them.